To Scotland With Love
by TopHat
Summary: While helping Lady Jaye and Flint renovate a house in Scotland, Duke tries to take his friendship with Scarlett to a new level.
1. To Scotland with Love

To Scotland with Love

Disclaimer: I do not own GI JOE.

Thanks to the wonderful people who have review lately…your comments motivated me to get busy writing!

"Hey, Hauser, you awake?" a voice called through the darkness.

Conrad grimaced, "I am now." He answered, wondering what Shana could possibly want in the middle of the night. "What is it, some massive spider that needs killing?"

"No, " she walked into the room, closing the door behind her. As she crossed in front of the fireplace he noticed she had what must have been every blanket from her bed draped over her shoulders.

He sat up and blinked, "There a reason why you're dressed like a ghost?"

She stopped by the bed, "Yeah, I'm desperately trying to get warm, my window and chimney leak cold air, my room is freezing, and these damn blankets couldn't keep a Hawaiian warm in July!"

He rubbed his eyes. She hated being cold. He yanked up the top quilt from the bed, "Here, try this. Stuff a pillow in the window. It'll block the cold air."

She glared at him, "Are you seriously going to condemn me to a night of misery in that cold, drafty room? I'll catch my death of a cold!"

"Well, I'm sure as hell not sleeping in a cold room. I'll fix the chimney tomorrow." She kept staring at him, "Ugh, fine." He threw back the covers next to him, "Climb in. Just don't put your cold feet near mine and don't hog all the covers."

"Thanks! I promise I won't snore," she grinned.

He chuckled softly, "Like I said, just don't put your cold feet on mine, leave me some covers, and we'll be good."

She climbed in and pulled the blankets over her head. He noticed she was shivering so hard she was shaking. He ducked down and grabbed her hands in between his and started to chaff them, "Geez, Shana, why didn't you tell me you were this cold!"

"I did. Why do you think I'm here?"

"You hate being cold."

"That's not normally enough to drive me to invade my best friend's bed in the middle of the night."

She snuggled so close she was almost in his arms, "Mmnhh. Why is it that you put off more heat than a furnace?"

"Dunno. Must be a gift."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, "You must be tired; your comebacks are usually better than that."

"After midnight-remember?" he yawned pointedly.

"Thanks, Conrad. Goodnight."

"Don't mention it. I'd hate to think of the grief Allie would give me if I let you freeze to death."

Finally warm, she nodded off to sleep.

He stayed awake a long time, watching the firelight dance off her red hair, fighting the temptation to pull her into his arms and warm her up in a way that had nothing to do with him being her best friend. He felt himself harden at the thought and forced himself to relax. She was completely oblivious to his desire for her and he told himself that was good thing. He could be content with friendship alone; he would have to be, there was no other choice. He fell asleep and dreamed of pulling her into his arms and kissing her until she melted.

He woke up the next morning and watched her sleep, realizing his resolve to keep her as a friend only had finally broken. He hauled himself out of the bed and attempted to relight the peat fire that had burned out sometime during the night. He had a lot to offer her-if he could get her to see him as a man and not just a friend.

"Keep doing that and you'll burn the place down."

"No big loss," he was careful to keep his back to her.

"No fire, no staff, so that means no hot coffee."

He snorted, "You don't think Dash and Allie are up and messing around in the kitchen?"

She grinned slyly, "Oh, I'm sure they're up and messing around…just not in the kitchen."

He met her wicked gleam and grinned. "How about a morning run?"

"Fine. Ten minutes?"

He nodded, "I'll meet you at the front door."

She took off to change and grab her shoes. He got up slowly and walked to the bathroom.

She was already warmed up by the time he got there, "Moving slow this morning Hauser."

"Like you said-it's cold."

"At least your bathroom has a heater!"

He grinned, deciding to torture her a bit, "Works real well too." She didn't need to know she was the reason he'd taken longer than usual to get ready.

Her eyes narrowed to slits, "Just for that I'll make you spend all day fixing up my bathroom."

"We'll see."

He started running, forming a battle plan as his feet hit the ground and he picked up a rhythm to the run. He'd give her something to think about. This "thing" he had for her had been intensifying for years, and he was sick and tired of trying to suppress it. He knew she cared deeply for him. Now, all he had to do was shift those feelings away from friendship. Easier said than done; she'd called him her "best friend' last night. If Allie was willing to help his cause, he'd try to bypass the friendship boundary and see how far he could get in a week.

He beat her back to the front door, "I win so I get the shower first."

"Fine," she panted, catching her breath, "Just don't use all the hot water," she meandered into the kitchen to see if there was anything resembling breakfast.

Allie cornered her in a pantry, "I checked on you this morning and your bed didn't look like it had been slept in. Are congratulations in order?"

Shana snorted, "No, why would they be?"

Allie eyed her friend, "You spent the whole night in his bed and didn't do anything? Nothing,

at all? I can't believe you! I thought you said he was hot!"

Shana rolled her eyes, "Allie, we've been over this before. Conrad and I are good friends; that's it. End of discussion. He doesn't see me that way."

Allie crossed her arms and stared her friend down, "Honey, have you taken a good look at him lately? His eyes follow you everywhere! Hell, he practically undressed you with his eyes after your morning run!"

"Eweh! Allie, I'm all sweaty and dirty! I look worse than I do after a hand to hand combat session. No man, no matter how hard up for a woman would want me after a teaching session or a morning run!"

She threw her hands up and dragged her friend into a nearby hall. "Take a good look in that mirror and tell me what you see!" she demanded.

"Me-sweaty, dirty, and in desperate need of a hot shower, which I probably won't have thanks to this house's lame excuse for modern plumbing."

Allie turned Shana back to the mirror, "Look again."

Shana rolled her eyes, "Fine. I see a tall, fairly attractive woman with red hair and really pretty blue eyes. There, are you satisfied?"

"No. Let me tell you what I see, and more importantly, what Conrad Hauser sees when he looks at you. I see a tall, gorgeous woman with flaming hair about a hundred different shades of red that most women would kill to have, and many spend outrageous amounts of money at salons hoping to come close to. I see blue eyes you could get lost in, that highlight your naturally beautiful light skin. And that's just the surface!"

"Fine. I'm a babe. Can I go now? I really want a shower."

Allie rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, "A little help here would be appreciated," she pleaded.

"Allie, I'm hopeless, you've said so yourself plenty of times. Go-enjoy spending time with Dash. I'm going to go take a shower."

Shana jogged down the hall and up the stairs, getting cold again now that she'd finished her run. She literally ran into Conrad as he was coming out of his room. "Whoa, you need to watch where you're going in this old wreck. You're likely to hit a wall and fall straight through."

"Sorry, just lost in thought."

"Anything edible for breakfast?"

"Do you call oatmeal edible?"

"That depends on who made it."

"Don't worry, not me," she smiled.

"Then, yes, I'd call oatmeal edible. If your shower doesn't heat up feel free to use mine."

"How come you got the good room AND the good bathroom?"

"Just lucky I guess," he tapped her on the nose and headed downstairs to breakfast.

Sure enough, her shower ran icy cold water through the taps. She hesitated for all of three seconds before grabbing her stuff and heading for Conrad's bathroom. 'Hmm,' she thought, discovering the lock was broken. She settled for putting her shoes outside the door in case he came back before she was out of the shower.

She pulled out fluffy towels, discovered to her delight the bathroom came equipped with both a heater and a towel warmer, and stepped in the shower, closing the glass door after her. She let out a long sigh when the warm water cascaded down her back. 'This...' she thought, '…is heaven.'

She thought about Allie's comments at breakfast. Was she really selling herself short? Allie seemed to think so. Having three older brothers addicted to sports whom she adored had inadvertently forced her to put her girly side on a shelf; a very high shelf. She couldn't stand getting dressed up and always felt fake doing so for a date. That wasn't her and it wasn't ever going to be her. Could she find a man who could look past the fact that she could kick ass and take names better than most; a man that wouldn't mind the fact that she was a total tomboy who didn't know one end of a mascara wand from the other? Could she find one that would accept her unconditionally for who she was, inside and out? Had she already?

Hadn't she assumed Conrad couldn't feel that way about her? Maybe she'd been too hasty in dismissing that possibility. She hadn't allowed her thoughts to stray too far down that path lest it become too attractive.

She took a good look in the full-length mirror when she stepped out of the shower. She took good care of her body and it showed. She wasn't all that vain about the scars on her body. They had been earned while serving her country, fighting for freedom alongside her friends. She took a bit more care dressing that morning than usual. She lathered on sweet scented lotion, telling herself if she didn't the cold would dry out her skin. She pulled her hair back into an elaborate braid, making the excuse that she was close to Ireland so showing a bit of pride in her heritage was acceptable. Clothes she couldn't, and wouldn't, do much about. She had brought with her a limited number of items and wasn't about to borrow something from Allie. She did choose a sweater Conrad had bought her for her birthday earlier in the year. He'd said the green emphasized how beautiful her red hair was. She hadn't thought much of his words at the time but what if he'd meant them? What if he hadn't been teasing?

That thought stayed with her throughout the day. Allie had cornered them shortly after she'd finished her shower and sent them into town on a supply run. Allie had a contractor and cleaning crews lined up but the four of them had figured they could pitch in with the minor repairs while the contractor and his crew of merry men tackled areas that actually required reconstruction. She had fun shopping for a change and decided it was Conrad's company and the fact that they were spending Allie's money, not their own.

They stopped for lunch in a local pub. Conrad had put his hand at the small of her back to guide her in. It wasn't something she remembered him doing before but she didn't mind, and wouldn't be opposed to him doing it again. The mood between them was relaxed, but there was a new and not entirely unpleasant tension in the air. It was well into the afternoon when they got back to the house and took a look at her chimney and window.

Conrad glanced at her, "Are you sure you work on this now? You look so nice…I don't want you to get dirty."

She blushed, "Um…thank you."

He grinned as she stammered, "Don't look so shocked, Shana, it's not the first time I've told you your pretty."

"No, I guess not, but those are generally occasions when Allie or Courtney have gotten me ready."

He stepped closer and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, "I like you better like this."

The moment seemed to stretch on but finally some noise from down below startled her out of her trance, "I'll just change my sweater and be right back."

"Okay, I'll haul up the supplies we bought in town."

Conrad chuckled quietly on his way down the stairs, "That ought to get her thinking."

And it did, she took an inordinate amount of time finding a different sweater to put on and took another long look in the mirror while she was at it. That comment back there didn't have anything to do with friendship, did it? She turned the brief conversation over in head and wished she'd paid more attention to things like flirting when she was a teenager. She heard Conrad banging back up the stairs. Well, she had him to herself for the next couple of hours, she'd just see what happened.

They inspected both the window and the chimney both before deciding the latter was leaking more cold air and would therefore need to be fixed first. Conrad frowned at crumbling wreck in front of him, "Your room is just down the hall from mine, I don't understand why my room was renovated and this one wasn't."

Shana shrugged, "Maybe no one was using this room."

"Let's take a look and see how many bricks are going to need to be replaced. We need to see how much of the damage is on the surface."

They each took a side and felt for loose, broken or cracked bricks. Their hands would touch accidently from time to time as they ran their hands over the face of the chimney. Eventually, their thoughts drifted and conversation died as they worked.

He thought about her as they worked, she'd worn the sweater he'd bought her for her birthday. 'That's a good sign, isn't it?' he wondered. 'And hadn't she looked so good in that green sweater? Hadn't it brought out her eyes and red hair? What was it going to take to win her?'

She thought about his hands, how nice they'd felt on her back at lunch, about what the simple touch of his fingers across her face had felt like deep inside, about what they might feel like against her skin.

So lost in thought they were, they jumped when their hands brushed against each other's under the mantle. It rocked; dust came fluttering to the floor, raining over their boots.

He cleared his throat, "I guess the mantle needs to be fixed. We may need to replace some of the cracked bricks…they seem to be leaking cold air."

"We don't have anything to fix the bricks with, how about the mantle?"

Conrad nodded, "Sure, we hammer some nails through it, reinforce it until the contractors can take a closer look."

"Ok."

They gathered the needed tools and took hold of the mantle, only to have it come off and send them to land in a heap on the floor, mantle falling out of their hands. Conrad leaned over her. "You ok?" he asked, roughly.

She blinked the dust out of her eyes and found him watching her intently, 'what was the question?' she wondered, finding herself much more interested in studying the brilliance of his blue eyes amidst the dust. "Huh?" she answered absently.

He brushed dust away from her mouth, sending that ember that had been between them flaring to life, "Are you hurt, Shana?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Good, "he answered huskily.

Pounding feet startled them out of their shared moment. Dash came rushing into the room, "Everybody all right? We heard a crash?"

Conrad got to his feet and helped Shana up, "Yeah, we're fine."

Dash took a look at the mantle lying in pieces on the floor, "Man oh man when the two of you set out demolish something you really know what to do don't you!"

Shana wrinkled her nose, "We were trying to fix it, Dash. You know, so I won't freeze to death tonight."

Dash grinned, "I don't think you froze last night. But seriously, you two are lucky; the whole chimney could have come crashing down instead of just the mantle. I'll add it to the contractor's list; just don't hold your breath." He waltzed out like nothing had happened, as if he hadn't just dropped a bombshell on them.

Conrad bent down to start picking things up, "You can have the bed-I'll sleep in the chair."

"No, way! I'm not running you out of your bed! We shared well enough last night; we can do it again tonight. That is…if you don't mind?"

Conrad smiled at her, "Why would I mind?"


	2. Lost in this Moment

Lost in this Moment

The next day dawned bright and beautiful. Shana wandered out the gardens a couple of hours after breakfast. She spotted an old wooden swing and sat down. Looking around the long neglected gardens, she could see the potential beauty it held. No doubt Allie would have the wilderness tamed, restoring the garden to its former glory.

"I thought I might find you out here."

She beamed, "Conrad, come swing with me. There's enough room."

He sat down beside her, "Barely."

They pushed the swing back and forth for a few minutes, enjoying the silence. "Was there something you wanted?"

"I thought you might like to join me on a picnic?"

She laughed, "A picnic?"

"Flint asked me to check out the Folly on the island in the middle of the lake."

"The building looks kind of decrepit."

"Supposedly it's not all that old. The original structure burnt and the existing structure is an exact replica. It may just need a new coat of paint."

"I doubt it."

"It wouldn't hurt you to be optimistic. Besides, a picnic will be fun. It's much warmer today than it was yesterday."

She rolled her eyes, "Anytime you get to eat you think you're having fun."

"I'm a guy-I like food."

"All right, I suppose we have to take a boat to the island?"

"Yep. I left the basket on the steps. We can leave now and explore a bit before lunch."

"Lead the way."

Shana eyed the small rowboat suspiciously. Even resting along the dock it looked like it would sink any minute. "Are you sure that old thing will float?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and crinkled her brow.

"Yep. Dash and Allie took it out last night for a moonlight gondola ride."

"That's no gondola."

"They used their imaginations. Just look at the island, isn't it beautiful?"

"It does look like a pretty spot for a picnic."

"It'll be perfect-trust me." He waggled his eye bows, pulling a gentle laugh out of her. She'd been quiet this morning which wasn't like her. The silence could also mean she was thinking about him and that was a good sign. She was a direct person; she wouldn't worry over something too long.

He helped her down and then shoved off. As Dash had promised the boat began to leak halfway to the island. By the time they reached the island her feet were propped up on his seat. It was apparent the boat wouldn't be making a return trip.

"Now what are we going to do?" She sat down in the grass and pulled off her soggy boots and socks.

"We look around a little and then have lunch. Dash and Allie will miss us sooner or later."

"Dash and Allie are so wrapped up in each other it may be days before they realize we're gone."

He laughed and tugged her hand, "Come on, it's a beautiful day and we're on vacation. Let's just enjoy the moment."

They spread the blanket out on the grass and unloaded the basket. Real dishes, wine glasses, all her favorites came out of the basket one by one. Spread-big blanket, her favorites, summer wine, chicken salad, scones

"Wow!" her eyes grew large as she laughed with delight. She looked at him consideringly.

He smiled and quirked an eyebrow, "I have a good memory."

"I'll say! Summer Wine from Château Élan in Atlanta, chicken salad, fudge brownies! You had to have brought the wine with you. Wine from Château Élan is great, but Atlanta is not wine country. I'd be shocked if you found a bottle here, especially considering it's my favorite wine," she slowly sipped her wine.

He leaned down and took a slow sip before answering. "Is it so strange that I'd like to do something special for you?"

"This Conrad, is beyond special. This took planning, long range planning."

"I'm good at planning. Shana, just lean back enjoy the view and have a good time. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing!" He teased

She did as she was told but her mind whirled a million miles a minute. Why had he gone to this much trouble? If he were anyone else she'd say he was out to seduce her, but this was Conrad, her best friend! It was almost too much to hope for that he felt the same way about her as she did about him. Friends were great, but wasn't there something more between them than friendship?

They ate in silence, stealing glimpses of each other from half closed eyes. Conrad smiled inwardly. He'd given her plenty to think about. Now, it was time for his big move. "How about a walk?"

"Ok." She sat her empty glass down on the quilt

"Can I offer you a hand up?" He helped her to her feet without waiting for her reply. He kept her hand nestled in his as they walked around the small island.

At some point their fingers laced together and they stopped walking. She glanced up to find him watching her intently. "Shana." He said her name softly and traced her cheek with one hand

She couldn't look away from those deep blue eyes. She leaned closer, resting one hand on his chest. "Conrad…" she said a bit breathlessly

He wrapped his arms around her and slowly bent his head, watching her eyes flutter closed. He brushed his lips gently across hers and sighed when she returned his kiss. He kept the kiss light for a long time before she opened her mouth beneath his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. The kiss that had been so gentle moments before quickly turned hot and passionate. Even when they had to break apart the fire burned hotter and hotter.

The air heated between them as their hands started roaming over and under clothing which suddenly felt overly warm and restricting. He started backing them up towards the summer house. There was supposed to be a day bed and blankets. It was private and more secluded than where they stood by the lake's edge. The broke apart and Conrad grabbed her hand in a run, rushing as fast as he could. He got to the stairs and pulled her into his arms again, the embrace even more heated than before. Everything was going great until the toe of Shana's boot caught on the riser above and sent them tumbling onto the stairs. He smacked his head against the landing and grunted in pain. Reality had come crashing in on them.

Shana got to her feet and looked around in a daze. She shook her head as her brain overrode her raging hormones. She watched Conrad climb slowly to his feet and reach for her. She jerked back as if shocked. "What the hell were we about to do?"

He laughed morosely, realizing the Shana wasn't interested in picking back up where they left off. "I think that's kind of obvious."

"I didn't even think you felt that way about me!"

"Shana, a blind man could tell I'm attracted to you. I just wasn't sure if you were, or rather if you wanted it to go anywhere."

"Conrad! We just went from first kiss to practically rolling around in the great outdoors!"

"There's a bed inside."

She went stiff, "What, you planned to get me drunk and seduce me?"

"Damn it, Shana! That's not what this was about and you know it! Don't try to cheapen our attraction to each other!"

"Twenty minutes ago I wasn't sure you were attracted to me! Going to bed with you was not in my plans for the day!"

"It wasn't in my plans either." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "I think we both need to calm down a little and talk about what happened."

He patted the step next to him.

She eyed him warily as she sat down, with plenty of space between them.

"I admit things moved faster than I had intended but I'm not sorry it happened."

She looked out at the lake and took her time answering, "Me neither. But things moved way faster than I'm comfortable with."

"So maybe you'd be open to seeing where this attraction leads if we take the pace a little slower?"

"How about a lot slower?"

He took her hand, "Shana…" and waited until she looked up. "…I care about you and I really want to see where this road will take us. If you're willing to come with me I'll go at any pace you want."

She rolled her eyes, "You've been around Dash too long, you're starting to sound poetic. Come on Hauser; let's get our picnic packed up. I'll even let you hold my hand."

He chuckled at her teasing tone. It looked like he'd won this round, "Deal."


	3. Take a Chance

Take a Chance

He had been careful to give her space when they returned to the manor house. There was plenty for both of them to do and plenty of places to do it away from each other. By the time dinner rolled around late in the evening she'd calmed down enough to consider his offer. That kiss had blown her socks off; she'd be crazy not to see where it led. On the other hand though, the thought of losing him as a friend kept nagging at her. Allie, knowing when to press her advantage had dragged her off to town to shop. Now, looking in the mirror she had to admit that Allie may have a point when she said, 'clothes make the woman'. Clothes alone didn't complete her but the warm yellow-gold cashmere sweater Allie had convinced her to buy certainty helped. She left her hair long, pulled on her brown boots and went down the stairs to help finish dinner.

"Hey Dash, instead of just standing there, why don't you take down the wine glasses?" Allie asked

Dash grinned, "I'm not just 'standing here'. I'm giving Conrad a pep talk."

Allie tossed a look over her shoulder at the men, "You can do that while you get down the wine glasses."

"Your wish is my command." Dash wrapped his arms around her from behind and planted a kiss at the base of her neck. She turned in his arms, kissed him once and pushed him away, "Glasses are on the top shelf."

Dash sighed, "I know where they are."

Allie turned to Conrad, "She bought new clothes while we were out. One would assume she bought them in an effort to look nice for you. Make sure you compliment her."

"I was planning on doing that anyways."

"Good. She needs the practice. And make sure it's about her appearance-nothing work related."

Conrad chuckled, "Allie, she's not the first woman I've uh…"

"Tried to seduce?" Dash finished for him.

Conrad scowled, "I wasn't going to put it quite that way."

Allie grinned, "So long as she's the most important I-we-will help in any way we can."

"Thanks. I think I may just need some time alone with her."

"Well you've that, buddy." Dash said. "Our vacation is just beginning."

"Thank goodness for that!" Shana said, walking into the kitchen.

Conrad turned toward her, mouth widening in a smile at the sound of her voice. Stunned, his eyes widened, his mouth dropped open, his lungs ceased being able to draw breath.

Dash laughed, "Shut your mouth, buddy, you'll catch flies."

Allie looked down at the plates in front of her, biting her tongue in an effort not to laugh. Her friends were having a moment and while it was sweet it, seeing the two of them just looking at each other, temporarily at a loss for words was priceless!

Conrad recovered quickly and walked to her side, "You're beautiful."

She blushed slightly, "Thank you. You're not so bad looking yourself."

He laughed, brushing his arms down the soft sleeves of her sweater.

Dash moved next to Allie, neatly leaving Conrad alone with Shana. He kept a watch out of the corner of his eye while helping Allie dish food onto plates.

"Allie was about to send me after a bottle of wine. Would you like to come?"

"Sure."

They walked around the corner to the wine cellar door. He stopped, picking up a lock of her hair, "I was wrong earlier, you're gorgeous, not merely beautiful."

She brushed the pad of her thumb over his lips, "Thank you."

Reluctantly he turned from her to flip the light on so they could walk down to the cellar. She slipped her hand in his and walked down behind him.

Holding her hand just wasn't enough. He'd promised her he'd move slow but slow was going to kill him. Still he kept his touch light. At least until she shivered.

"It's really cold down here," she said, rubbing her hands together and pulling the sleeves over them.

"Come here," he opened his arms and she gladly snuggled against him.

"Ahh…you are so warm. It feels so good."

He rubbed his hands over her back, wondering how long he could keep her like this. The wine cellar in early Scottish spring wasn't exactly the most conducive spot to seduce someone who hated the cold. On the other hand, things weren't working out so bad at the moment.

She turned in his arms, her back to his chest, and surveyed the racks of wine in front of her, "did Allie say what kind of wine she wanted?"

"Nope-just wine."

"Not red wine or white wine?"

He chuckled against her ear, "No, she just said to go down to the cellar and fetch some wine for supper."

"What are we having?"

'I know what I'd like to have…' he thought. But he didn't say that out loud. That would send her out of his arms. "Whatever it is, it smelled good."

Shana laughed, "Anything edible smells good to you."

"You smell good, should I eat you?"

She leaned her head back against his chest and laughed, "It's much too cold down here to eat me."

"Well, I happen to know a spot that has a working fireplace. I even chopped wood this afternoon, thinking you might prefer that over peat."

"That was sweet, thank you."

"I'm a sweet guy."

She laughed, "Sweet isn't the first word I'd use to describe you."

He turned her around to face him, "What word would you use?"

She smiled, "I think I might keep that information to myself just a bit longer." She slowly slid out of his arms and walked toward the opposite rack of wine bottles. She pulled out a couple, made her selection, walked to another section of bottles and chose a second bottle.

"I guess Allie must have shown you around down here."

"Mm hmm. The day we arrived. We should go back up before they start dinner without us. I'd hate for you to miss supper. You wouldn't be good for anything on an empty stomach."

"We could grab dinner to go."

She smiled again, that playful smile that was driving him crazy, "Allie went to a lot of trouble to make a nice dinner. It would be rude to not to join her and Dash."

"I don't think they'd mind. We could skip dessert at least…"

And there was that smile again. She flashed that smile at him a few more times and he'd forget about his promise to go slowly. Flirting was one thing-taking her against a rack of cold wine bottles was something else entirely.

"Dessert is my favorite part of any meal."

He groaned, "Shana, you're killing me here…"

She laughed lightly, "You're a big, strong guy, and you need your strength…" And with that she turned and started back up the stairs.

"So much for slow!" he muttered under his breath.

Dinner continued in much the same fashion as their encounter in the wine cellar, the banter between them flowing freely, not as light as it had been previously.

Allie took a sip of her wine and watched her friends watching each other, "The wine is chilled perfectly. I'm surprised you weren't cold, Shana."

Shana smiled at Conrad as she replied, "I'll admit it was a bit chilly down there but Conrad kept me warm."

It took a monumental effort for Allie not to choke on her wine. This was certainly an entertaining side of her friend.

Conrad slid his foot to rest beside Shana's under the table. She responded by brushing his hand when she picked up her wine glass. "You should drink your wine, Conrad, after all the trouble we went through to get it."

"It wasn't any trouble at all," he managed to put a bit of disappointment in his voice.

She noticed and smiled, "Still, it is good wine."

"I have big plans for the evening. I'd like to remember them in the morning."

This time Dash choked on his wine. He looked at Allie and found her trying not to laugh. He wondered if now would be a good time to go after dessert, and not come back.

Her phone rang, interrupting the light banter she and Conrad were exchanging, "Hey, Sean, how's Atlanta?" Her smile immediately faded, "What do you mean you 'messed up big time'? Wait, just wait a minute, give me a second to find somewhere private."

Conrad gripped his glass a little too tightly as he watched Shana's playful mood evaporate and her body stiffen. Her brother Sean had the worst timing. It wasn't apparently good enough that he mess up his own, could be perfect love life if he'd just grow up, but now the idiot was going to mess up his sister's love life before it got started.

Allie looked at him with concern, "Do you think he's in trouble again?"

"Sean? Yeah, and he's running to Shana again expecting her to make it right."

"Aren't all of her brothers older than she is?" Dash asked, curious.

"Yeah, Sean's only about a year older and for some reason decided long ago that Shana had the power to fix his mistakes. At least the mistakes he makes with his love life."

"Why?"

Allie sighed, "Sean is dating Shana's best friend back home and has been off and on since high school. She gets ready to commit, he buys the ring, and before he works up the nerve to propose his eye wanders."

Conrad picked up the tale, "And where his eye wanders his hands aren't that far behind."

Dash nodded, "Hence your lady's skittishness."

"Exactly."

They waited in silence for a few more minutes before Conrad went to check on her.

She didn't turn his way or acknowledge his presence when he entered the room. She kept looking out the window, at the rain that had started not long before dinner.

"Hi." He came up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. She wouldn't have it. She moved out of him embrace, "I'm fine."

He let out a sarcastic bark of laughter, "Yeah, right, I can see that."

She cast him a dark glare, "Why don't you go finish your dinner."

"Why don't you come with me?"

"I'm not hungry right now."

"Funny, neither am I. What did he do this time?"

She swallowed a retort, "He is my brother you know."

"He also causes you a lot of heartache. He needs to grow up."

"Ash took a risk, she proposed this time. He said yes, they celebrated, privately. He woke up with cold feet and took off. Ash found him late last evening at a friend's bachelor party, being serviced by a woman Ash and I don't particularly like. It added insult to injury. I don't know if he can work his way back from this one."

"Are you going to let your brother's poor choices impact our relationship?"

"You're a good friend, Conrad, but I don't think I want anything more than that right now."

"You don't 'think' you do?"

"It wouldn't last long anyway; these things never do."

"What things? Relationships?"

She whirled to face him, "Flings, affairs, two people going to bed with a bad case of lust! It's a bad idea! It's a stupid idea!"

He joined her by the window, "And if it's not just lust?" he asked softly, compelling her to look at him. He paused for a second, "I'm not Sean and you're not Ashlynn. I'm not looking for a fling."

"But what if it is just lust?"

"Why don't we find out?" His eyes were smoky with desire; he traced her face, outlining her lips with the pad of his thumb. He bent his head slowly and used his mouth to follow the path his thumb had traced over her lips, his eyes still bright on hers when her eyes drifted closed. Begging entrance, she opened on a sigh and he slid his tongue in, tracing over hers, his lips moving slowly and heavily over hers his hand cupping her cheek, then sliding down to hold her loosely in his arms.

His heated mouth moved more heavily on hers, the tenor of the kiss deepening, becoming more possessive. She felt herself drift more deeply into his kiss. She shifted restlessly against him, trying to get closer as she slid her hand up to anchor in his short blond hair. He slide his hands down over her bottom, caressing, and pulling her hips closer to him; her hands fisting in his sweater, she leaned against him letting her tongue play with his. But it wasn't enough, not enough heat, not close enough, she needed more, she breathed in his earthy scent, she moved her hands to his back and tugged up his sweater, slipping her hands inside to roam over his muscled planes of his back.

He jumped at the touch of her slender fingers sliding over his back. He slid her pony tail out of her hair and ran his hands through her long red tresses. They broke the kiss briefly to come up for air, gulping it in desperately and quickly meshing their mouths again. When they came back together she wrapped one leg around his, allowing him to slide a knee between her legs.

"Hey guys desert is ready…" Flint trailed off.

Scarlett jumped away like she had been shocked by electric wire. "Oh, um, I'll uh be there in a few minutes…" She ran out the side door of the library, desperate to get away. She didn't stop running until she reached her room. She didn't even notice how frigid the air was. She crossed her arms in front of herself, putting her hands under her arms, "How could I have lost control like that? Didn't your conversation with Sean teach you anything?"

Back in the library Flint sheepishly ran his fingers through his hair, "Sorry man, I guess I'll knock next time."

Conrad sat down in one of deep leather reading chairs, "Yeah or just don't come looking for us in the first place." Conrad realized his tone with was too sharp, "Sorry, I didn't mean to lash into you."

"Yeah no problem, I understand. And next time we'll leave the two of you to dish it out on your own."

"She's just so damn wary!" he let out a frustrated sigh, running his hands over his face and through his hair.

Flint grinned, "And you spend how many summers on your uncle's horse farm? I think you can deal with one skittish mare…"

Flint left him to his thoughts. He poured himself a brandy. Apparently the former owners had decided the library was one of the few rooms in this decrepit place worth keeping up. The shelves still gleamed and the brandy decanter was still full. He poured himself a glass and sat back in his chair to develop battle plan C.

He wasn't surprised to find his room, specifically his bed, empty when he finally made his way up the stairs. He was however, pissed to find her half frozen in her own bed. He sighed, "My bed is actually big enough for the two of us to sleep and not touch each other."

"Still a bad idea," she said, her reply coming through chattering teeth.

He snorted, "Whatever. I'm not in the mood to argue." He picked her up, blankets and all and deposited her in his bed. He grabbed one of the too many to count blankets and settled in the chair next to the fire.

She fell asleep feeling warm but guilty, scared and foolish. There were too many emotions she wasn't used to experiencing running around in her head right now. Conrad had made his choice. She wouldn't fight him if he slipped under the covers but her pride wouldn't allow her to invite him. He was gone when she woke up in the morning. He'd lit a fire and had even gone so far as to put her robe over the chair to warm. She sighed, "Guilt trips are so not fun."

Allie was lying in wait for her when she worked up the courage to come downstairs. "Good morning."

"Morning."

"Coffee's hot. You missed breakfast but we saved you some pancakes. They might still be warm."

"Um, thanks."

"Just in case you're wondering, he's not here."

"What do you mean?"

"He went with Dash to get the necessary supplies to fix the chimney and leaky windows in your room. You should be able to sleep in your own bed tonight and let Conrad sleep in his."

Shana winced, "He chose the chair."

Allie slapped the paper she had been reading down hard on the table, "He chose the chair because he knew he wouldn't be welcome in the king size bed you were occupying! A king size bed, Shana! Half the damn garrison could sleep in that bed. It would certainly sleep two people quite comfortably, and those two people wouldn't even have to touch!"

She tried to come up with a retort but either her brain was still frozen or her tongue was tied. She settled for sighing, "Okay, so I messed up. I let Sean's problems become my problems, again. Things were just happening so fast…"

"And you got scared. Slowing down is fine. Slamming the brakes on isn't. The two of you are meant to be together. You know it, he knows it, the whole base knows it! Look, you're here, he's here. I'm not saying this is your one and only chance but it's the best one you're going to get. Conrad isn't Sean. Don't let your brother's mistakes and screw ups keep you from giving Conrad a chance. He loves you. Maybe you don't like that-and maybe you're not ready to here it but its true. You could do worse. He's good enough to be your friends isn't he?"

"I don't want to lose that."

"You kissed him back-just friends isn't an option anymore. He's a man made of flesh and blood, not stone. Don't be cruel-give him a chance or tell him no and mean it." Allie left her paper and walked out.

Shana finished her breakfast, got dressed and went for a run. She ran until her head was clear, until she could think about what she really wanted. She admitted to herself that she was scared. That just irritated her more so she ran faster, harder. She wasn't a coward. She wanted the man, damn reason, damn consequence, damn pride and fear. She'd never been afraid to go after what she wanted and she sure as hell wasn't about to start now! She turned around but wasn't fast enough to out run the drizzle. She was drenched when she made it back to the house, chilled, out of breath, and soaked to the skin.

She toed off her shoes and left them on a rug just inside the door. She and Allie had cleaned the floors yesterday and she wasn't about to muck them up again this soon. She shivered as her feet hit the cold hardwood floor. She sprinted up the stairs and grabbed a clean set of clothes, leaving her wet ones in a heap as she slipped her arms through her robe. Her shower was still broken so she knocked on Conrad's door. No answer so she walked in. The rain had picked up. She could hear it pinging loudly against the windows and roof.

She was still breathing hard from her run when she opened the bathroom door only to realize the water she'd heard hadn't just been from the rain.

She stood where she was, transfixed by the sight of Conrad Hauser in all his glory. She gasped.

Conrad jerked his head toward her, "Am I dreaming?" he asked hoarsely.

She stared mesmerized as he turned to face her. He was heavily aroused; she felt her face flush at the thought of this powerful man so desperate for her. Lust shot straight through her once again, making her wetter than she had been before walking in here.

"Shana?" He asked softly.

She took an unconscious step towards the shower. Their gazes locked, "Shana…" he called softly. She took another step toward him, walking as if she were in a trance.

He opened the shower door and beckoned her closer. She came. He motioned for her to untie her robe. She let it fall to the floor. He held out his hand and as she placed hers in his he tugged her into the shower with him. When she pressed against him rational thought flew out the window. She willingly let her desires take over and guide her actions. She stood up on her toes and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her mouth opened over his, desperate, fast, and hot.

They kissed as if trying to consume each other, as if they couldn't exist until they were one. When they came up for air he pressed her back against the shower wall and dipped his head.

She cried out, "Conrad. Conrad, I need you."

Her hands tightened in his hair as he heightened her pleasure. She cried out sharply, "Now, now, please, I need you now!" He lifted her and slid inside. Her climax came quickly and triggered his own release. They slide to the shower floor, spent.

He cradled her in his arms beneath the warm water, "There's no turning back from here, Shana."

She shook her head, "No, no turning back."

She was still half dazed with what had just happened between them when he picked her up and stepped out the shower, wrapping her in a warm fluffy towel. He didn't give her a chance to collect her wits. He'd had her once and now he set out to have her again. He kissed her, running his hands over her body, relighting the fire that had only temporarily been banked.

"Conrad…we just…"

"Uh huh….."

"I mean we just …"

"Shana, I had you once, did you think that would be enough for me?"

"Uhm…no…?"

"I could have you a hundred times and still instantly need you again."

She looked down, "…oh, uh…I guess so…"

She was still a little unsteady when they reached the bed but quickly found her confidence.

He pulled her close, need, lust, desire and all other emotions took over. It was obvious he wanted her, was desperate for her. The blatant, open need on a face that most people had difficulty reading under normal circumstances alleviated any misgivings she might have had about taking charge for round two.


	4. No Turning Back From Here

Disclaimer: I do not own GI JOE. Thanks to Little Lady Hawk & Beck for beta reading!

No Turning Back from Here

She woke up the next morning wrapped in his warm arms. She took a moment to relive last night in her mind. She was tempted to wake him up and devour him but Mother Nature called. She'd gone from a long, hard run to fast, passionate, mind blowing sex without taking a breather. She'd pretty much collapsed after round two. She smiled remembering how he'd filled up cup after cup of water from the bathroom tap for her to drink. She closed her eyes and shuddered when she remembered the tender care he given her afterwards. The man had magic hands. If she had a knot in her body it was from round three and not anything that had come from the days of hard work and stress before that. She silently turned and disentangled herself from his body. She'd flipped the covers back and had one foot out of bed when she found herself jerked back into the bed with his hard body slamming down on top.

"I thought we agreed there was no turning back."

"We did."

"You're sneaking out of bed."

"I was trying not to wake you," she hissed, quickly becoming tired of his accusations.

"Let's get one thing perfectly clear, Shana. We started something last night and it is not finished; not by a long shot. If you try to run I will catch you, I don't care how long your legs are, how fast you run, or how many black belts you have! I will throw you over my shoulder and not let you go until you're between me and the nearest flat surface."

She narrowed her eyes, "I need to use the bathroom. That's why I was 'sneaking' out of bed. I had every intention of coming back. I may, however change my mind. We either go forward as partners, Hauser, or we call it quits right now. I'm not following orders in bed!"

He stared at her for long moment before rolling over. She jerked the covers back and slammed the bathroom door. When she came out some time later he'd stirred the fire and was leaning against the mantle lost in thought.

"I'm sorry for assuming you were running," he said, looking her in the eye.

Her anger deflated, "Yeah, well you know what they say about assumptions…"

His mouth quirked up in a smile, "Yeah. Truce?"

"Why don't we just get back in bed and start the morning all over again?"

"I like that idea."

Unfortunately they hadn't been back in bed all that long before her phone started to ring. As she had left it in the bathroom the night before it kept ringing.

"Ugh, it's Sean, I know it is. He'll keep calling back and calling back until I answer," she threw the covers back and hopped on her tiptoes to the bathroom to fetch her phone; muttering under her breath the entire time. "Geez, could these floors get any colder?"

"Sean, do you have any idea what time it is over here?"

"No, should I?"

She jumped back in bed and pulled the covers over her shoulders, "If you're calling me then, yeah, you should!"

"Oh, sorry. Look, Ash isn't retuning my phone calls and she won't open the door."

Shana rolled her eyes, "Duh, you cheated on her moron, that's not going to make you her favorite person at the moment."

"I didn't really cheat!"

Shana felt her body tense, "You got drunk and let your fiancé's worst enemy seduce you, how is that not cheating? What happened to the remorse you were feeling earlier?"

"She won't talk to me and it's not like we were exactly engaged anyway."

"You worthless jerk! What do you mean not exactly engaged? Everyone in Atlanta knew you had the ring and dinner reservations at her favorite restaurant. What were you going to do, not propose?"

"You're my sister; you're supposed to be on my side. Tell me how to fix this damn it! What do I need to do, spring for a dozen roses? Fine, if she'd answer the damn door I'd do it!"

Shana flinched at the tone her brother was using, "She's my best friend, Sean! She's practically my sister! Our families are inseparable; hell, the two of you have been inseparable since we were all in diapers together! This is how you're going to talk about the love of your life? You really are pig, Sean! I can't believe I'm related to you! What do Frank and Brain have to say about this? They can't be in support of what their little brother is doing!"

Conrad let out a ragged breath and drew his hand over his face. Was the man really that stupid? Stupid or not he was upsetting Shana and he wasn't having that. Not now when he'd finally gotten her where he wanted her-in his arms, walls down. He held out his hand and impatiently wiggled his fingers.

"Give me the phone, Shana."

She wrinkled her nose, "Why?"

He held out his hand for the phone and stared at her. Green shirts had wilted under this stare but it didn't seem to have any impact on her, "Let me have the phone, Shana."

She let out a breath and rolled her eyes, "Conrad wants to talk to you." She slapped the phone in Conrad's hand and flopped back on the bed. Maybe he could talk a little sense into her hapless brother.

"Hey man, you got some advice for me?"

"Yeah, grow up and stop being a selfish prig."

"Hey, you can't talk to me like that! You don't even know me! Who the hell are you to…"

"Listen up ass wipe I met you once and thought you were a fairly decent representation of your family; not as wise as your father and not as smart as your older brothers, yet you had potential. You've screwed up and it's your fault so be a man, tell Ashlynn you were wrong. Apologize, let go of your pride and beg. "

"I don't beg for anyone!"

"Shut up!" Conrad commanded in his fiercest CO voice. "Do you want to bring shame to your family? Is this how you want your father, your brothers, your sister to think of you? As some worthless coward who was too proud to admit he'd done wrong, too self-absorbed to try and make amends?"

Sean didn't have any quick comebacks for what Conrad had just said. "No," he said quietly. "That's not how I want people to think about me."

"Good, then man up and go make things right."

"Hey, are you like my sister's boyfriend or something now?"

Conrad once again ran his free hand over his face, "Boyfriend? What are we in high school? I'm her man and that's a hell of a lot more involved than 'boyfriend' so go solve your own problems and stop upsetting your sister."

Sean let out a gasp, "That sounded like a threat!"

"If you need to interpret it as such then go ahead," He ended the call then turned the phone off and tossed it on the nightstand.

She smiled up at him, amused, "My hero."

"You got that right, babe." He leaned over her, "Now, where were we?"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought him down for a kiss, "Right about here."

They spent the next few hours blissfully wrapped up in each other until a fist hammered at Conrad's door, "Hey you two, if you can tear yourselves away from bed and each other for half an hour, Allie's fixing pancakes and the coffee is hot."

Conrad retaliated by hurling a shoe at the door. They could hear Dash laughing good naturedly as he left.

"So? Food?" he asked, his stomach rumbling in encouragement.

An amused smile tugged at her mouth, "I think you may need something to build your strength back up…you…uh…had quite the workout last night and this morning."

He pulled her close and kissed her teasingly, "And I'm hoping you'll put me through my paces again later this afternoon…"

She brushed her mouth over his, being careful not to get too wrapped up in the kiss, "Sounds like a plan."

Dash was helping himself to another pancake when Conrad and Shana finally made it downstairs. He smiled until his grin turned into a smirk, "So, making up for lost time huh? Must have been pretty good from the way you were carrying on last night."

Shana turned beet red, "I thought the walls were thick."

Allie whapped Dash on the hand with her fork, "Behave. The walls are plenty thick and even if we had heard you, which we didn't as we were on the other side of the castle, you've listened to us enough times, we wouldn't hold it against you."

Shortly after breakfast they split up to work on the house. Allie dragged Shana into town to help pick out curtains. Dash and Conrad worked their way through a to do list Allie had left for them. They met back up for dinner and the couples retired early. The next few days went on in much the same fashion. Allie had set Shana to work installing the new curtains.

Dash walked into one of the refurbished bedrooms and found Shana installing a curtain rod with a power drill, "Hey, you're getting pretty handy with that thing."

Shana smiled down at him, "I'm a fast learner."

"Apparently so and I know Allie appreciates your help, especially since it meant giving up time with your family."

Shana shrugged, "I saw them a few months ago when we had to fly civilian and had a layover. Allie's been drooling over this place for months. It's nice to finally get here and see the place for itself. It really is nice, Dash." She stepped down from her chair to admire her handiwork. "And since you happen to have walked in at the right moment, you get to help me put the curtains up."

"Lucky me," he replied in a deadpan voice.

"It's not that hard, just spear the ring on the end of the hook."

He eyed the curtains suspiciously. He considered making an excuse to get out of it but he'd wanted to talk to her anyways, "This doesn't seem like a manly task."

She snorted, "Ha, you just want to help the contractor bust down chimneys and walls."

He shrugged and flashed his devil may care grin, "Demolition is fun. Besides, it's the only way to get to the pipes that need to be replaced."

"So did you get lost on the way to the demo?"

He laughed, "No, I was actually looking for the drill."

"Oh, you mean my drill?" she asked innocently.

"Your drill? Since when did it become your drill?"

"Since I found it."

"So what, finders keepers?"

"That's right. I needed it, it was there, no one else was using it."

"But now I need to use it."

She laughed, "Sorry, you'll have to find another one. Allie has me on a tight schedule. I've got three more rooms to finish before lunchtime! If I don't finish, she won't feed me. Then I'll have to cook something myself."

"And risk dying of food poisoning?"

"Hey, I can cook a few things!"

"Uh, huh. Luckily for you, Conrad is a pretty decent cook."

"Good, one less thing for me to worry about."

"You know, Shana, there are a lot of jerks out there but Conrad isn't one of them. He's a good guy."

She smiled, "I know Dash, and I know I'm lucky. I'll take good care of him."

"Isn't he supposed to say that about you?"

"So, we can take care of each other. Now, ready to hang this sucker up?"

"Ready when you are."

"Hey, Conrad…"

Conrad stopped as he passed Allie's office door, "Hey, need something?"

"Yeah, I need an opinion on the estimate to fix the chimney in what was Shana's room. You've taken a look at it and I'm thinking you told me you helped your uncle fix his once upon a time."

Conrad stepped in and took a seat across from her, "Good memory. Let me see the estimate?"

She passed it across the desk with a smirk, "You know; it's nice to be on this side of the desk for a change."

"Enjoy it while it lasts. When we get back to base things go back to normal and you have to take orders from me."

"Oh I fully intend on using your free labor as much as possible over the next few days."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, "Vacation, remember?"

"I remember."

He passed the estimate back to her, "It seems fair but I'd get a couple of other estimates just to be sure. I imagine Shana's chimney isn't the only one that needs to be fixed."

"Mmm," she answered noncommittally.

"Why do I sense I may be wrong on that thought?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Uh, huh, I smell a rat or a matchmaker anyways."

"You should be grateful; without that leaky chimney you'd be sleeping alone."

"I didn't say I was ungrateful."

"Have you talked about what will happen when we get back?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I've mentioned it a time or two. She immediately changes the subject."

Allie smiled, "She's a work in progress, and with all works in progress, you have to be patient with them."

"Patient has just become my new code name."

She was still laughing as he left the office.


	5. Romance is in the Air

To Scotland With Love: Chapter 5: Romance is in the Air

Disclaimer: I do not own GI JOE. Thanks to Little Lady Hawk for the help!

Shana woke up first again. She sighed and stretched, wondering if Conrad had it right. Maybe they really could keep this up when they got back to base in a few days. They'd have to be a bit quieter of course, but that beat going back to sleeping alone-without him. The alone hadn't bothered her before but she knew that it would now.

Conrad stirred, eyeing her blearily before closing his eyes again and rolling over onto his stomach. She took a deep breath, curling her fingers to her palm in an effort to resist the urge to take her hand and run it down those gorgeous back muscles. Knowing if she stayed in bed she'd wake Conrad up she quietly slipped out of bed and dressed. She went through her morning martial arts silently, wanting to give Conrad a chance to catch up on his sleep. When she was done she flipped the curtain back to check the weather. She wrinkled her nose, cloudy and misting rain. Conrad had promised her a picnic today, making up for the one that hadn't ended so well earlier in the week. Oh, well. She'd better get her morning run in while she could.

By the time she got back from her run the temperature had dropped and snow had started to fall. Conrad greeted her at the door with a mug of hot coffee and a kiss.

"Hi," he said, handing her the mug.

"Thanks," she said, smiling, "I could get used to this."

He grinned, taking the mug for a sip, "Sorry to disappoint but Allie left us with a shopping list. Weather man says this is going to turn into a nasty storm before evening."

She frowned, "I guess I really will have to take a rain check on that picnic."

Conrad arched an eyebrow, "Oh, I don't know. We could probably work something out."

Shana laughed, "What, now you can control the weather?"

"It's been done before."

She laughed again, "I seem to recall the weather dominator being destroyed."

"I have my ways. Grab a quick shower; I'll whip up some breakfast."

She made it downstairs in record time. She'd discovered that Conrad could cook and cook well. Just as well as Allie. That made her the only one in their little group that couldn't. She could however, wash dishes. Good cooks were almost always willing to share their food if someone else cleaned up after them. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Smells great…what is it?"

Conrad squeezed her hand before picking the spatula up, "The yellow you may recognize as eggs..."

She smacked him good naturedly on the back, "Duh…even I know that. I also know that eggs are a key ingredient in lots of stuff."

"Well this 'stuff' as you call it is going to be the best omelet you have ever tasted."

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, moving to his side to get a better look and steal his coffee. "What makes this omelet so special?"

"I made it."

She laughed, "So what, it's better than Roadblock's omelet?"

Conrad arched a brow, "Roadblock does not stoop to making omelets."

"I bet he would if someone asked."

"Shana, the man is a gourmet. He takes his food very seriously. Omelets are something anyone can cook."

"Anyone? Does that include me?"

He pulled her in front of him and wrapped one of her hands around the spatula and the other around the pan handle, "Anyone includes you so long as you actually pay attention to what you're doing." He proceeded to show her how to cook the omelet without burning it to a crisp.

After breakfast they grabbed the list and got ready to head to town. Shana took another glance at the sky as she got in the passenger seat, "It looks about the same as it did when I finished my run."

"See if you can get a weather update on the radio."

"…roads will be blocked. So make sure you're home and safe and snug before two pm when it really starts to come down. Thanks for listening to…" Shana turned the radio off.

"So," she asked, "what exactly is it that Allie wants us to pick up if they're getting food?"

"Mostly things from the hardware store. We'll meet up in a couple of hours for an early lunch."

"Sounds good."

They walked hand in hand through the hardware store, ordering what supplies they couldn't load in the car and having them sent up to the house.

They finished their errands and were on their way to the pub for lunch when Conrad pulled her into a shop. "Conrad, this is a florist shop."

He grinned, "Yes, it is."

Shana continued to look around in bewilderment, "What are we doing here? Surely Allie doesn't want us to pick up flowers just before a snow storm? I thought she'd hired a landscaper."

"She did. We're here for something else."

Shana took off her gloves, "Okay…like what?"

Conrad threw his head back and laughed, "It's generally considered a time honored tradition to buy your girl flowers. I thought a dozen red roses would be good but if you have some other preference we can get those."

"You're going to buy me flowers?"

He cupped her head and kissed her softly, "I'm buying you roses, a dozen long stem red roses. It's romantic."

She smiled, "Yeah, it is, I guess I just didn't expect it."

"That's the beauty of it. If you expect it, flowers won't be as special. When we get back I won't be able to buy you flowers or take you out to dinner on a regular basis. I'd like to spoil you now."

Shana laughed softly, "You've already done a good job of spoiling me."

"Good." He pulled her close and kissed her slow and deep until they were interrupted by a round of applause. Shana laughed, embarrassed and hid her face in Conrad's coat.

The clerk stepped forward, "A dozen red roses, you said?"

"Your best," Conrad replied.

"Very good then, right this way."

They picked out the roses and watched as the clerk pulled out a box.

"We'll need a vase as well."

They left the tall fluted vase in the car and carried the roses with them to lunch.

Allie's eyes popped out of her head when she saw them, "Wow! Somebody is in l-o-v-e! Those are gorgeous!"

Shana beamed, "Conrad just got them for me down the street."

Dash grinned, "Smooth, very smooth my friend. Now I'm gonna have to get Allie some."

"Damn right! You've haven't bought me flowers in a long time!"

Dash grinned, "I buy you other things."

Allie rolled her eyes, "Flowers, after lunch."

"Yes, ma'am," Dash made a smart salute.

They enjoyed lunch and made it back to the house before the snow blocked the roads. Conrad was sent to help Dash unload the hardware leaving Shana to help unload the groceries.

Allie grinned at the dreamy eyed, far off look in her friend's eyes. For somebody who a few days ago wouldn't so much as admit she was attracted to Conrad, Shana sure had done a 180. Work, work, work, had turned to play, play, play. Even when she was helping her normal efficiency was interrupted by long day dreams or even longer breaks where she'd come back a little more rumpled than she had been.

"So things are going well I take it?"

Shana's head snapped around at the sound of Allie's voice, "Huh? Did you say something?"

Allie nodded knowingly, "Yep, I'd say things are going very well with the two of you."

Shana blushed bright red, "Umm…uh…yeah. Things are good."

"Shana, honey, things were good before, now they're great."

Shana leaned her head back against a kitchen cabinet and sighed, "Okay so, yeah, they're great, really great. I mean, who knew Conrad was such a romantic. Maybe we can actually pull this off when we get back to base."

"Well duh, Dash and I have pulled it off; I don't see why you can't. Conrad is a hell of a lot more even tempered than Dash."

"Ha! Isn't that the truth? But you know Conrad is, when he sets his mind to something it happens. He wouldn't let me go without a fight. He thinks we can pull this off so I'm willing to give it a try."

"Good for you. I was beginning to worry you'd let him go without even trying to catch him."

Shana let out a mirthless laugh, the light going out of her face, "It seems like that's exactly what Sean is doing."

Allie put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, "Maybe he's just letting her cool down a bit before making his move."

"I hope so."

Shana reluctantly pulled herself out of her warm bath. She sighed, "How long does it take to put away hardware anyways?" Dash had pulled Conrad to help him unload hardware as soon as they'd gotten back to the house, which had been several hours ago. Allie had announced they'd be awhile and had headed for a nap in her bedroom. Shana had decided to take a soak in the tub, let the warm water take the chill out of her bones until Conrad got back. Well, she was finished with her bath and he still wasn't back. "Well, I guess I'll have to find him. It's almost dinner time."

She opened the bathroom door and stopped, stunned at the sight before her.

Conrad turned to her, "Wrinkled enough? I was beginning to wonder if you'd drowned."

She walked into the room, "How long have you been here?"

He shrugged, "A while. You let me sleep in this morning so I figured I'd let you enjoy your bath."

She stepped into his arms and kissed him softly as he wrapped his arms around her, "You could have joined me, you know."

He kissed her again and let her go, "Then I wouldn't have had time to set up your surprise."

"A picnic indoors?"

"It's the best kind, no ants and you have a roaring fire to keep you warm."

She laughed softly as he led her to the picnic blanket by the fire. The lights were down low with candles and the flames creating a soft light surrounding their blanket. With the pillows scattered around the edges it felt like they were in their own world. Shana toed off her slippers and sat down next to Conrad.

"Cozy. I think it's lovely, Conrad."

Conrad slid a loose lock of hair behind her ear, his gaze lingering, "Definitely lovely."

She blushed, still not used to the compliments and outright affection he had been showing her.

"So," she asked, "what are we eating tonight?"

Conrad reached behind him for a bottle of wine, "If madam approves?" He presented the bottle with a flourish for her approval.

She giggled, "Very nice, and for the main course?"

He reached into a basket by the fireplace and pulled out two plates, setting one down by Shana and another in front of himself before pulled out a covered casserole dish. "Voilà," he said, "Spaghetti with meatballs."

Shana's eyes went huge as she gasped, "Conrad! When? How?"

"While you were relaxing in the tub. You rarely venture into the kitchen before meal time so we thought it was a safe bet we'd have the time we needed to fix everything."

She reached over, took his face in her hands, and kissed him, "Thank you. This has been the best vacation of my life and I don't know what I did to deserve you but if I ever figure it out I'll do it again."

That got a laugh out of him, "Eat up while it's still hot."

Miles away Sean O'Hara sat at his desk and pondered life. He'd sent flowers, he'd talked to her apartment door, and he'd talked to her mom, her sisters, her brothers, nothing. He'd camped out on her doorstep and the studio the dance company was practicing at. She'd still managed to avoid him. He'd messed up, the biggest mistake of his life and two people were paying for it. Ashlynn said he'd broken her heart for the last time. Now that she was really gone he realized his heart was breaking too. He was out of ideas on where to find her.

His phone rang and out of habit he picked it up, "Sean O'Hara."

"Sean, this is Grace, Ash's friend. We're at Grady Hospital."

Sean's stomach dropped clear out of his body as he stood up, "What happened? Is she okay?"

"I'm not sure if Ash would want me to call you or not but I can't find her cell and I forgot the name of her mom's bakery."

"Grace, just tell me what happened!"

"There was an accident. She's mostly okay but…"

She was killing him, didn't she know that? He wiped the sweat off his brow, "Mostly okay but…?"

"But they think her foot's broken. And well…"

"You can't dance on a broken foot."

"Not so much, no."

"My brother's an Orthopedic, I'll have him come by and take a look."

"Okay…great. I'm sure she'd appreciate it. So, um, can you give me her mom's number? They've taken her to get x-rays but I can't hang around for long."

"I'll call her mom from the car. I'm on my way."

"Oh, uh, okay. We're still in emergency. I don't know if they'll let you in…"

"I'll get in."

"Okay. I'll wait as long as I can."

He broke every speed limit between the paper and the hospital. He'd 911 texted Brian to meet him at Grady's ER. He didn't have the time to explain. Hell, he didn't even know what happened other than there had been an accident. A car accident would explain why they were at Grady.

Luckily for him, his childhood neighbor was on duty at the desk and took him straight back to Ashlynn without a fuss. He flew around the curtain, "Ash?"

She looked up, sniffling, "Sean? What are you doing here?"

He nodded to Grace as she got up, grabbed her bag and left. "Grace called me; she said you'd been in an accident."

Ash buried her face in her hands and started crying. Sean sat on the bed and pulled her close, "Hey, it'll be okay, we'll get through this, you're gonna be fine."

"What 'we'? You aren't even supposed to be here. We broke up. Where's my mom?"

"She's on her way and so is Brian."

"We start touring in three weeks! If I'm not better they'll cut me from the show!"

Sean took a deep breath, "You'd better tell me what happened."

"I tripped, well Sarah tripped and knocked into Damien and Damien was about to lift me up and so he dropped me and I fell off stage!"

Sean shook his head, he supposed if it weren't Ash laying here worried about her career being over the whole situation would be comical. "So what, you broke your leg?"

"My foot."

"Okay. What did the doctor say?"

"He hasn't brought the x-ray back yet."

"He hasn't but I've got them!" Brian stepped into the room, "How ya doing kiddo, hanging in there?"

She shrugged her shoulders as if her entire life didn't depend on the x-rays he was waving around.

Brian laughed it off, "I was actually here checking up on a little leaguer when our boy here called. So, to cut to the chase, it's not broken."

She gasped, "It's not?"

Brian shook his head, "Nope, sprain. That's the good news."

Sean rolled his eyes, "So what's the bad news?"

"It'll take longer to heal up."

"How much longer and when can she start dancing again?"

Brian looked at Ash and then at Sean, when she nodded he went on, "You'll be in a brace, possibly a boot for a few weeks, after that physical therapy. You'll be walking around in two to three weeks but I wouldn't recommend your kind of dancing. If I remember right you're doing a "Riverdance" kind of thing?"

"Something like that, yes."

"So jumping, stomping, jigs, reels, that kind of stuff?"

She nodded again. He shrugged his shoulders, "If it were anyone other than you I'd say six weeks but you heal fast, you're in good health, and you know how important it is to do your rehab exercises. I'll give you four weeks but you may not be up to dancing every night by then."

Ash bit her lip, "So there's really no way I'm going to be able to tour out of the country in three weeks, is there?"

Sean stood up, "Yes, there is. I'll come with you. I'll carry your luggage, I'll help you get from place to place, I'll carry and fetch."

Ash looked stunned and overwhelmed. Brian just said, "Huh, well, it's about time. Good luck," as he walked out.

Sean knelt by the bed, "Look Ash, I messed up and I'm sorry. I ruined a good thing and I take full responsibility for that now. I'm not asking for you to take me back. Okay, I'm asking that you think about giving us another chance because this time I really am ready to commit. But this isn't about that, this is about you needing help and me being able to provide that help."

"But Sean, even if I get approval we've already book rooms, two people to a room, we've got our tickets and everything."

Sean shook his head, "We'll make it work. I'll take a leave of absence or use up my vacation and sick leave. I'll get my own room; I'm not asking to share. I'll call Shana; she'll get me on any flight I need to get on."

Ash swallowed, "Are you sure?"

Sean nodded, "I'm completely sure."

Thousands of miles away, Shana dreamed of a ringing. She snuggled deeper into Conrad's arms. It was warm under the blankets, warm and so nice to be wrapped in his arms. She really wished the ringing would stop. More out of habit than design she reached for the phone on the nightstand, "Hello?"

"Shana?"

"Sean? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just need a favor."

He explained everything and Shana was more than happy to pull whatever strings needed to be pulled to pave Sean's way.

She hung with a smile and snuggled back into Conrad's arms, "What is it this time?" he mumbled.

She kissed his chest before putting her head down, "I think everything is finally going right."

"Huh. Good to hear. Tell me tomorrow?"

"Sure." As she drifted off to sleep she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders, Sean was making things right with Ashlynn. If he could pull that off she could certainly pull off a relationship with Conrad. Everything really was right with her world.


End file.
